This column of heavy construction equipment and trucks loaded with building materials is humanitarian aid from Russia. A bulldozer, an excavator, a crane, trucks with drums of cable, pipes and wood planks — all this is vital for Douma, which suffered 7 long years under terrorist occupation.
The day before, the equipment was solemnly handed over to the local authorities.
A Russian soldier: "It's good to go".
A Syrian: "Yes, yes!"
A Syrian official: "Thank you so much".
The Douma Provisional Authority was established only a few days ago. The legitimate government came to the city just this week along with the first column of military police units operated by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Everybody wants to shake our servicemen's hands and take selfies with them. The whole city seems to have taken to the streets.
Syrian national flags are everywhere. All these people are tired of war and provocation. They're tired of living under the terrorist groups. They hope to finally return to a peaceful life. This week, the last members of the illegal armed gangs left Douma.
This footage clearly illustrates the attitude towards the terrorists here. Several militants show up, start firing in the air, trying to frighten civilians. But the latter immediately repel them by throwing stones. The fearless, cobblestone-armed residents of Douma take on the terrorists and win, forcing the terrorists to retreat. Now Douma, like all of Eastern Ghouta, has been liberated from radical Islamists.
Here's the Douma hospital which was allegedly attacked with chemical weapons a week ago. It's where the infamous White Helmets filmed their video. Russian radiation, chemical and bacteriological protection officers came here to examine the premises and talk to the staff and patients.
Alexander Rodionov, commander of Russian NBC Protection Troops: "The inspection revealed that no victims of such toxic agents as Sarin and chlorine, had been hospitalized".
They didn't find a single victim, let alone dozens or hundreds of them. The Red Crescent has confirmed this fact. Everybody seems to know about a chemical attack in Douma, except for its residents.
Diamin Rabbani: "There were no chemical attacks, only conventional arms were used. There were no chemical munitions or poisonings, nothing of the kind".
A special mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was to start working in Douma on Saturday. However, it didn't happen because of the US-led coalition’s airstrikes. People hope that international experts will visit Douma personally and that the OPCW report on whether the chemical attack did take place in Douma will rely on facts instead of videos from the Internet.
Alexander Bilibov, Mikhail Vitkin, Sergey Truskov, Mikhail Emelin for Vesti — News of the Weefrom Eastern Ghouta, Syria.
